


Jim's Secret

by ZuviosGemini



Series: Gobblepot Tumblr Prompts [4]
Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: 'Normal' AU, Less violent but still Gotham, M/M, Vague AU, how they got together fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-08
Updated: 2015-03-08
Packaged: 2018-03-16 20:36:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3501965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZuviosGemini/pseuds/ZuviosGemini
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Now your turn. Tell me a secret."</p>
<p>Jim’s heartbeat sped up and suddenly his palms were sweaty. He couldn’t believe what he was about to say, what the hell was he thinking?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Jim's Secret

**Author's Note:**

> Written as a tumblr prompt: "Tell me a secret." for user rainbowalpaka. Read/like/reblog that fic [here.](http://driftsbodaciousthighs.tumblr.com/post/112765289644/)

It was Saturday afternoon and Jim and Oswald were out walking by the river, their usual routine when they had some free time. Jim kept pace with Oswald’s limping gait, stopping when they came to a bench so Oswald could rest.

The weather was pleasant enough, the cool air coming off of the river counteracting the heat from the summer sun. Oswald sat back so he could stretch his leg out a bit, rubbing at the out-of-place knee.

"How’s your leg doing?" Jim asked. His companion shrugged, still massaging the aching bones and muscles.

"Much better today. The warm weather is helping a lot. When it gets cold, it aches so bad that I don’t even want to leave the apartment sometimes."

Jim nodded, looking out across the river.

"You know you never did tell me what happened." He said cautiously. Oswald clammed up when Jim asked him about his leg. They had known each other a while, but between one meeting and the next, Oswald’s leg had gotten damaged. Badly. He couldn’t even walk with both feet facing forward anymore. His right foot was permanently turned sideways, and on bad days, he seemed to almost drag it.

Jim was a cop. He naturally asked a lot of what people would view as invasive questions, but Oswald was his friend. His interest in the truth was personal.

"I’ve told you several times, Jim, I don’t really want to discuss it." Oswald said quietly, cutting his eyes at Jim, the blue looking white with the sun shining through the iris. Jim bobbed his head in understanding, coming up with an idea.

"Yeah I know. Okay. so it’s a secret of sorts, right?"

Oswald nodded.

"How about this." Jim offered. "You tell me your secret and I’ll tell you one of mine."

Oswald seemed to consider it. He liked secrets and information. He collected it like old people collected stamps and young kids collected baseball cards. After a few beats of deliberation with himself, Oswald nodded.

"That’s fair I believe. I’m going first I assume?" He asked rhetorically. "Well, as you know, I’m the manager at the nightclub downtown. Apparently, some mobsters weren’t satisfied by that evening’s entertainment, and their custom is to take their frustrations out on the manager. That being me."

Jim listened with his brow furrowed. Mobsters? Jim hadn’t heard about any mobster activity in months, but given the fact that Oswald hadn’t come forward about the attack, it made sense.

"Their leader, a woman named Fish, broke a chair over my back…" He swallowed, and then kept talking, "and then proceeded to bash my leg in with one of the pieces. She broke my femur in three places and knocked my knee cap out of alignment. There was no way anyone would be able to fix it, so. I just let it heal that way."

Jim was in shock, staring at the other man like he had never seen him before. Oswald however wasn’t even looking at him, and was instead looking down at the concrete between his feet, his expression hard to read. Before Jim could open his mouth, Oswald’s eyes were on him again, focused.

"Now your turn. Tell me a secret."

Jim’s heartbeat sped up and suddenly his palms were sweaty. He couldn’t believe what he was about to say, what the hell was he thinking?

"My secret. Right." He began, clearing his throat awkwardly. Oswald leaned forward more and Jim forced himself to look at him, his already speeding heart skipping a beat. Jesus, he was going to have a heart attack before he could even get the words out.

"My secret is…" here goes nothing… "that I’m in love with you."

A very long few seconds went by before Oswald cracked a smile, huffing a laugh.

"Hah hah, very funny, Jim." He chuckled, his smile fading when Jim didn’t laugh with him. Realization dawned in his eyes and he swallowed hard.

"R-really? No joke?"

Jim shifted on the bench so he was facing Oswald better, and dared to reach out and put a hand over one of his.

"No joke. I am in love with you. I have been for a while but… I just didn’t know if I could tell you, you know. I wasn’t sure how you would react."

Oswald’s continued silence was making Jim’s stomach turn, and just when he was about to apologize for saying anything, the biggest smile broke out on Oswald’s face and Jim was being kissed. Oswald had tugged him forward by his suit jacket lapel, still smiling as he kissed the detective senseless. He pulled away breathless, his eyes wide with excitement and that ever-constant grin still on his face.

"I’m so very glad you told me that, Jim. I thought I was the only one with that secret."

Yep, Jim was definitely going to have a heart attack, because the damn organ skipped a beat again and he was smiling like an idiot as well. What an image they must have made, sitting there on a bench in front of the river, smiling like love struck morons at one another.

Well, love struck was probably appropriate given what Oswald had just said. Morons as well, because they had both decided not to tell the other what they really felt.

"So… what does this mean? For us, I mean." Jim said after Oswald had kissed him a second time and god, he could get used to that. Oswald shifted closer so their legs touched.

"You could take me out to dinner and we could discuss dating terms, or you could just ask me to be yours now." He said, and Jim took his hand, intertwining their fingers.

"How about I ask you first, and then we go to dinner after?" He said with another smile. Oswald giggled—Jim loved that he actually giggled, it was just too adorable—and nodded.

"I do believe that is acceptable as well, Detective."


End file.
